When Zhao Yu woke up, his mind was a complete blur. The sudden influx of a second person’s memories left him somewhat disoriented. The two sets of memories intertwined, flashing back and forth between Cao Xiaohan’s life and his own. Staring blankly at the ceiling, his eyes lacked any focus.
Sensing that the breathing rhythm of the naive rabbit had changed, Bai Yiyan knew he had regained consciousness and turned to look at him. But upon doing so, confusion gripped him. Shouldn’t the poison in the silly rabbit already be neutralized? What was wrong with him now? Why was he acting so dazed and unresponsive?
“Cao Xiaohan, Cao Xiaohan.” Reaching out, Bai Yiyan gave the blankly staring person on the bed a gentle nudge. Hearing someone call his name, Zhao Yu slowly drifted back to reality and looked at the person before him.
“Brother Liu, good morning!” Not yet fully awake and feeling as though he had just woken from a normal sleep, Zhao Yu instinctively greeted Bai Yiyan.
“Most of the snake venom has already been cleared from your system. Do you still feel any discomfort anywhere?” Completely ignoring the out-of-pocket greeting, Bai Yiyan cut straight to the point.
“My body feels a bit hot and painfully burning. Oh right, Brother Liu, are you alright?” Recalling what happened before he passed out, Zhao Yu wanted to sit up and check on him.
“Lie back down. I am fine. Even if you had not lunged forward, I would have been completely unharmed.” Bai Yiyan truly could not understand what went through this silly rabbit’s mind. Why would he care so much about someone he had just met, let alone a prisoner? How could he recklessly risk his life to save someone he hardly knew?
“You have a point. With martial arts as formidable as yours, how could you possibly be afraid of venomous snakes? I reacted without even thinking and just threw myself right over, but I am just glad you are safe.” Zhao Yu flashed a reassuring smile. This was, after all, the first friend he had made after arriving in this strange new world.
Lifting his little head, Zhao Yu looked all around him. The thatched roof, the walls made of compacted mud, the hard wooden bed, and the blanket covered in patches were everywhere, but at least everything was clean and tidy. “Hey, Brother Liu, where are we?” Amazed, Zhao Yu realized they had changed locations entirely.
“A small mountain village ten miles away from Ami County,” Bai Yiyan answered. Looking at him now, the boy looked just like a dazed little rabbit tilting its head to curiously survey its surroundings, silly and rather adorable.
“Ah, how did we end up here? Should we not still be in the grand prison?” Confused, Zhao Yu wondered how he had only fallen asleep for a single night, only to wake up in a completely different place.
“You were poisoned.”
“I know that, but what does it have to do with us being here?” Puzzled, Zhao Yu failed to see the connection.
“I brought you here to detoxify the venom, which requires a few herbs from the mountain behind us.” Bai Yiyan explained with patient restraint.
“Oh, thank you. But how did we even get out?” Zhao Yu still could not figure it out.
“We just walked right out of the grand prison.” Bai Yiyan’s patience was wearing thin.
“Oh.” Zhao Yu began to piece things together. Brother Liu must have brought him here after seeing that he was poisoned. Given Brother Liu’s abilities, the county prison could never trap him anyway. But if that was the case, did that not mean Brother Liu had also become a wanted fugitive? And if so, did that mean he himself no longer had to face execution? The silly lad’s thoughts were already wandering off-topic again.
Seeing that Cao Xiaohan was fully awake and out of danger, Bai Yiyan figured he should hurry to the back mountain to gather the herbs needed to clear out the remaining toxins completely.
“Since you are awake, stay here and rest properly. I am going to find some herbs for you to clear the remaining poison from your body. The local villagers will take care of you here. I told them you are my younger brother and that you were bitten by a snake while we were gathering herbs on the mountain.” Fearing that this silly rabbit might slip up and give away their cover, Bai Yiyan gave detailed instructions.
“Okay, I understand. Go ahead and do not worry, be careful on the way.” Feeling a warm surge of affection wash over him as he realized Bai Yiyan was heading up the mountain specifically to find medicine for him, Zhao Yu thought that being cared for felt truly wonderful. He suddenly felt as though he finally had something to lean on in this lonely, unfamiliar world. Wait, stop right there, he reminded himself. I am a man. Even though this body is only seventeen years old, I am still an adult, so why am I still thinking about relying on someone else? Lost in these rambling thoughts, he failed to notice that Bai Yiyan had already departed.
Watching the silly rabbit’s expression shift through a dozen different emotions, Bai Yiyan knew the boy was off daydreaming again, so he simply ignored him and stepped outside to greet the sturdy middle-aged man chopping wood in the courtyard.
“Older brother, I am Liu Yan. Thank you so much for your life-saving kindness. Things were too rushed last night, so I have not yet asked for your name.”
“I am a few years older than you, so you can just call me Big Brother Danu. Forget about all this thanking nonsense, because who does not run into a hardship or two in life?” The middle-aged man laughed heartily.
“Big Brother Danu, I do have one more presumptuous request. My younger brother’s venom has not been fully cleared, and I still need to gather herbs for him on the mountain. Might I trouble you to look after him for a little while? I will be right back.” Bai Yiyan requested politely of the honest countryman.
“No problem at all, go ahead. We will take good care of your brother.” Danu agreed readily, treating it as no big deal at all.
“Then I will take my leave. I will have to trouble you with my younger brother, Brother Danu.” Just as Bai Yiyan was about to head out after settling Cao Xiaohan’s affairs, Danu called out to him.
“Have some breakfast before you go, your sister-in-law is almost finished making it.”
“Thank you, Big Brother Danu, but you can just bring a portion to my younger brother. He is already awake, and I had better make a quick trip and return soon.” With that, Bai Yiyan set off toward the mountain. Once out of sight of the villagers, he employed his lightness kung fu and sped toward the deep mountains where the herbs he needed actually grew.
After Bai Yiyan left, Zhao Yu lay in bed feeling drowsy and wanting to continue sleeping, but waves of burning pain kept him awake. Sorting through the memories in his mind, he knew the original owner of this body had been framed. Yet, with no power, no connections, and not even the strength to truss a chicken, how could he possibly clear the original owner’s name? As for the matter of the Mo Sect, that was actually quite easy to resolve; he just needed to find a disciple to pass down the mantle and fulfill the mission of searching for an enlightened ruler.
Sigh, what should I do? The case against him was glaringly obvious: Magistrate Liu had accepted bribes from Wealthy Patron Niu, and the original owner had been caught red-handed at the scene. Trying to overturn the verdict now meant all the evidence had likely been destroyed, leaving him unable to wash himself clean even if he jumped into the Yellow River. This was truly a massive headache for him! Besides, since he had inherited Cao Xiaohan’s body, he would simply go by the name Cao Xiaohan from now on and live a proper life on his behalf.
“Little brother, time for breakfast.” Just as Cao Xiaohan was deep in thought, the weathered wooden door, which looked as though it could collapse at any second, was pushed open. Danu walked in carrying a bowl of thin congee, interrupting Cao Xiaohan’s rare moment of introspection. This bowl of thin congee had been cooked using the precious millet they normally saved for special occasions; aside from the bowl brought to Cao Xiaohan, the rest was reserved for their young son, Huzi.
“What should I call you, older brother?” Wondering if this was the kind-hearted person who had taken them in, Cao Xiaohan managed a warm smile.
“Just call me Big Brother Danu.” Seeing the endearing kid before him, Danu handed him the bowl. Cao Xiaohan glanced somewhat awkwardly at his right hand, which was swollen like a steamed bun, and then back at the fragrant bowl of congee. Sensing his dilemma, Danu sat down on the edge of the bed and fed him spoonful by spoonful. Feeling deeply embarrassed, Cao Xiaohan repeatedly thanked Danu.
By nearly noon, Bai Yiyan returned, bringing back not only medicinal herbs but also a few rabbits and a wild pheasant. He had originally wanted to hunt a larger animal, but fearing that it would expose his martial arts abilities, he had settled for two rabbits, a pheasant, and two grass carp weighing around three pounds each that he caught by the stream.